Then&Now
By Monica Bennett
In his Oct. 18, 1990, inaugural address,
President Anthony DiGiorgio stated
“A first-rate institution is not possible
without…first-rate facilities and the firstrate support of capable people doing what
they know best how to do.”
In his 24 years as president, DiGiorgio
has spearheaded Winthrop University’s
never-ending commitment to enhancing
the quality and value of the Winthrop
Experience for every student. A key part
of that commitment is how academic
planning and facilities planning are
intertwined in a very purposeful
way. Dubbed “Education by Design,”
Winthrop’s strategic facilities planning
process emphasizes creating environments
for both intentional and casual interactions
by members of the campus community,
and contemporary facilities with a
traditional feel that are connected in a
pedestrian friendly atmosphere.
Campus Green Formerly known as
Peabody Field (lower left in photo at left),
the green space served as a key locale
for intramural sports competitions. Today,
the Campus Green (above) functions as
an attractive, environmentally engineered
surface-water drainage system for the
heart of campus and yet another space
for students to congregate, study or
participate in recreational activities.
There is no question that under
DiGiorgio’s leadership, Winthrop’s physical
plant has been transformed. His vision of a
first-rate institution with first-rate facilities
has come to fruition as the university
now enjoys state-of-the-art academic
classrooms, its first certified green building,
an expanded and enhanced Winthrop
University Recreational and Research
Complex, and a realigned heart of campus.
The following pages detail the university’s
physical plant milestones and provide
a snapshot of how spaces were utilized
“then” and strategically transformed into
the modern spaces of “now.”
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Spring 2013 Winthrop Magazine
Scholars walk Once open to vehicular traffic (above), Scholars Walk today (top) is the
central promenade of campus that connects Winthrop’s beginnings — the Little Chapel — to its
future: major facilities connected by verdant spaces along a pedestrian walk spanning the heart of
campus. The culminating destination of Scholars Walk’s southern end is Hardin Family Garden.
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Then&Now
Dalton Hall Formerly the Life Sciences Building,
Dalton Hall (left) was rededicated in April 2010 in honor
of longtime environmental and arts supporters, Harry
’86 and ‘Becca Dalton. Completed in 1999, the building
was the first addition to the university’s central campus
in more than three decades, and it provides laboratory
facilities for the departments of biology and human
nutrition, as well as office and research space for
faculty members. Before construction the space was
used as a parking lot (below).
Main Campus in 1989
Lois Rhame West health, physical education and wellness Center
The West Center (below) opened in 2007. At 137,000 square feet, the West Center is the largest building on
main campus. The LEED-certified facility houses academic space for the health, physical education and sport
management programs, as well as wellness facilities. The building’s namesake is a 1943 alumna and former
First Lady of South Carolina. Tennis courts and the backside of Peabody Gymnasium (left) once stood where the
West Center was constructed.
Main Campus in 2012
Campus growth In terms of
numbers, Winthrop’s physical plant has grown
significantly since 1989. The university has
added 16 buildings—totaling more than
526,000 square feet—and purchased more
than 38 acres of land to ensure the university’s
continued growth. In all, new construction and
adapted facilities during DiGiorgio’s tenure are
valued at more than $150 million.
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Anthony j. and Gale
N. Digiorgio campus
center The 128,000-squarefoot DiGiorgio Campus Center
(above) opened in 2010. Named for
President DiGiorgio and First Lady
Gale DiGiorgio, the Campus Center
houses student services offices,
student publications facilities,
meeting spaces, banquet rooms,
a movie theatre, the campus
bookstore, the post office and
casual dining options. The Campus
Center is located where Peabody
Gymnasium (left) once stood.
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Then&Now
vivian moore Carroll Hall Dedicated in 2009, Carroll Hall, Winthrop’s
newest academic facility, serves students in the College of Business Administration.
Adjacent to Thurmond Building, Carroll Hall features the Carroll Capital Markets Training
and Trading Center, an electronic stock market ticker board, Whitton Auditorium, the
Minerd Executive Seminar Room and two computer labs. The facility is named for Vivian
Moore Carroll ’73 who retired from Merrill Lynch and currently serves as co-chair of
Distinction: The Campaign for Winthrop and is past president of the Winthrop Alumni
Association. Before construction the space was unused.
Glenda pittman and Charles Jerry Owens Hall
Opened in 2007, Owens Hall is Winthrop’s newest general-use classroom
facility. The 32,200-square-foot building contains 21 classrooms equipped
with SMART technology, a computer lab, two conference rooms and a
student lounge. Named for Glenda Pittman Owens ’59 and her husband,
Jerry, the building suffered severe damage from a March 6, 2010, fire and
reopened in spring 2011. The space was formerly a
parking lot located behind Bancroft Hall.
Hardin Family Garden Completed in 2011 as a capstone to Scholars
Walk, Hardin Garden (below) is an example of beauty in utility. The garden’s design
came from the ancient concept known as the Golden Section, which describes
beauty and the organization found in nature. The garden is named for the Hardin
Family, which traces its Rock Hill roots back several decades, and includes many
members of the extended Winthrop family. The garden was made possible with
the support of a generous and multi-faceted gift to Winthrop from the late Patricia
“Patz” Whetstone Carter ‘69 and her husband, Ray. Hardin Garden is located where
Breazeale Hall (left), razed in 2004, once stood.
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Winthrop university
Recreational and Research
Complex Once used as farmland during
Winthrop’s early years, the 325 acres located
one mile from main campus have transformed
into a vibrant educational and recreational locale
(above). Since 1989 (right), “The Farm,” as it is still
informally called, has seen the addition of stateof-the-art athletic facilities such as the Winthrop
Ballpark, Terry Softball Complex, Memorial Tennis
Courts, Eagle Field soccer complex, Irwin Belk Track
and the intramural recreational fields. In addition,
in 2004, a partnership between Winthrop and
Rock Hill Schools created the Piedmont Wetlands
Research Area that adjoins Winthrop Lake. The 1.1acre area offers research possibilities for students
of all ages and a glimpse of the fast-disappearing
Piedmont wetlands. Mainstays such as the
Coliseum, golf course and the Shack continue to
provide opportunities for fun and fellowship.
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Then&Now
Olde Stone House Built at the beginning of the
20th century, the Olde Stone House has a stone exterior
which was added in 1937-38 during the building’s
renovation by Works Progress Administration labor.
The Olde Stone House (below) was once the home of
Winthrop’s grounds superintendent. A makeover of the
building in 2004 included the addition of an outdoor
patio, viewing decks and a conference room. Winthrop’s
preservation of the Stone House received a 2005
Historic Rock Hill Award. Today the Stone House (left) is
used for fund- and friend-raising activities.
Winthrop coliseum
Completed in 1982, the 6,000-seat
Winthrop Coliseum is the site of
Winthrop’s NCAA Division I men’s
and women’s basketball games,
and women’s volleyball games. The
facility also accommodates Winthrop’s
Commencements, area high school
graduation ceremonies, conventions,
trade shows, concerts, special events
and tournaments. From 2002-04, the
Coliseum was renovated with a new
brick facade, enhanced main entryway
and refurbished interiors, including allnew arena seating. Winthrop’s Athletics
Hall of Fame is located in the upper
concourse of the Coliseum.
Recreational and Research
Complex in 1989
winthrop ballpark Built in 2001, the Winthrop
Ballpark (below) is one of the most impressive collegiate
ballparks in the South. A second phase of construction,
funded by an anonymous $1.5 million gift, was completed
in 2008 and included the additions of locker room space,
a training room, indoor batting facilities, coaching offices,
covered grandstands and an elevator tower for improved
accessibility. The facility holds 1,800 spectators. Recreational and Research
Complex in 2012
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A Vision Fulfilled:
By Nicole E. Smith
“Winthrop University will be—and will be recognized as—one of the best universities of its kind.”
These are words that President Anthony DiGiorgio has spoken often, but they represent more than an idealized hope for the
future or a vow awaiting fulfillment—they are a promise DiGiorgio made, one that has come to fruition throughout the past two
decades in collaboration with faculty and staff members, members of the Board of Trustees and the local community.
It is a sentiment he reaffirmed at his final address to faculty and staff in August 2012. After 24 years as president, DiGiorgio
will retire this summer. However, the unique characteristics that help articulate a Winthrop education—Touchstone courses,
diversity, core values and commitments, programs provided only on an exemplary level and more—will continue to embody and
evolve the campus. Below are just a few examples of initiatives and programs created under DiGiorgio’s leadership:
Vision of Distinction Creates
Blueprint for University
At his inaugural address in 1990, DiGiorgio
declared: “We have the opportunity to create—out
of the legacy bestowed upon us by the past and
our dreams for the future—a zealous scholarly
companionship that will saturate every corner of
the campus: a mission compounded of service, of
excellence, of diversity and of community.”
The institution was a college at the time but earned
its university status shortly after DiGiorgio took office.
DiGiorgio led the campus community through
a strategic planning process that resulted in six
statements that appropriately described the university’s
goals, defining: the type of community Winthrop
would become; the kind of student body it would
build; the nature of academic life on campus; the
type of facilities that both support classroom learning
and create engagement opportunities; the support
services that would progress the campus’ work and
interactions beyond; and the kind of partnerships and
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collaborations that would fulfill the university’s mission.
Together, these goals became the Vision of Distinction, a tangible “road map” that creates
accountability and points the campus community in the appropriate direction for its aims and
objectives.
Winthrop Becomes First State Institution to Achieve 100 Percent
National Accreditation for Eligible Programs
DiGiorgio placed an emphasis on academic excellence in the 1990s with his commitment to
have national accreditation for 100 percent of Winthrop’s programs for which such accreditation
is available—or not to have the program. Under his guidance, Winthrop became the first
institution in the state to achieve 100 percent national accreditation for eligible programs. That
high standard of quality continues to serve the university to this day.
His pledge to embrace a program or activity only if it can be done in an exemplary manner
truly sets the university apart, as students know that their selected program of study is of the very
highest quality.
Core Commitments Reflect Importance of
Personal, Social Responsibility
Winthrop’s commitment to student learning is not only entwined within the academic track,
but with a student’s personal development as well. With a motto of “Live. Learn. Lead.,” the
university became one of only 18 universities to lead the first phase of a national initiative called
Winthrop Recognized as One of the Best
“Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and
Social Responsibility.”
These core commitments center on mining personal and
academic integrity, contributing to a larger community, learning
and respecting others’ perspectives, developing a strong work
ethic, and refining competence in ethical and moral reasoning.
By setting—and inevitably fulfilling—these goals, Winthrop
has created a guide for students that maps their way toward
deeper learning and reflection.
Emphasis on Deeper Learning
Encourages Critical Thinking,
Writing, Discussion
Under DiGiorgio’s watch, a new division of the university—
University College—was created with the goal of increasing
and enhancing student achievement, responsibility and
engagement, allowing faculty to work across various disciplines.
This cross-campus cooperation ensures that all students have a
solid academic foundation.
University College’s formation led to the further creation of
Touchstone courses and an emphasis on cultural and diverse
programming. Such courses include the introductory Academy
101, Writing 101, Critical Reading, Thinking, Writing 201 and
The Human Experience 102. Each of these classes includes an
introduction to concepts, principles and skills necessary for
successful educational and life experiences.
The Common Book Project also launched during
DiGiorgio’s time to provide an annual shared intellectual
experience for the Winthrop community. All freshmen read
the book and engage in lively discussions, and a variety of campus programming
complements the selected book’s theme.
Third-Party Accolades Note Academic Excellence, Value,
Service Learning and Diversity
Winthrop has grown not only in its student body during the last 24 years—
amassing more than 6,000 students from 40 countries and 41 states—but also in
external validations.
For the 21st time, U.S. News and World Report listed Winthrop among the South’s
top universities that convey master’s degrees. Barron’s “Best Buys in College Education”
and Princeton Review’s “America’s Best Value Colleges” included Winthrop in its past
publications, citing the university’s value and academic excellence.
Winthrop was among 32 postsecondary institutions —and the only South
Carolina institution—recognized nationally for “beating the odds” in helping students,
particularly minority students, most prone to dropping out of college, stay on track
toward graduation.
In addition, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)
named Winthrop as a leader among institutions of higher education for its support of
volunteering, service learning and civic engagement.
Finally, the S.C. Commission on Higher Education has recognized Winthrop as one
of the state’s top-performing institutions, giving it top ratings.
Though DiGiorgio will retire as president this summer, the academic
measures geared toward giving students the best possible learning experience—
“the Winthrop Way”—will not leave with him. They will remain a staple of the
university, as it continues to fulfill DiGiorgio’s promise: for Winthrop to be—
and to be recognized as—one of the best universities of its kind.
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A Winning Combination:
By Monica Bennett
As Winthrop’S #1 fan,
Anthony DiGiorgio has attended
too many home and away contests
to count in his 24 years as president. Working behind the scenes,
he has transformed Winthrop Athletics into a nationally competitive
program, playing a major role in
recruiting top coaches and players
to continue building on a tradition
of excellence.
A life-long sports lover, DiGiorgio served as a constant advocate for growth
in Winthrop’s Division I sports offerings. In 1989 when DiGiorgio arrived,
Winthrop sponsored 12 intercollegiate teams. During his tenure, the program
added six teams – men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s
outdoor track and field, women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse. Under his leadership, opportunities for female student-athletes tripled, as participation increased
from approximately 60 to 160 female student-athletes.
Athletic scholarships also grew significantly during DiGiorgio’s tenure. In
1989, athletic scholarships totaled $178,000; in 2012, $1.9 million, thanks to a
vibrant and active Eagle Club, the university’s athletic booster club.
Winthrop’s commitment to recruiting outstanding student-athletes has
produced impressive results. Over the last two decades, the university has accumulated 49 Big South Conference championships in 10 sports and 42 NCAA
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Regional appearances. Track and field student-athletes
have earned 72 individual and 12 relay Big South
Conference titles, qualified 24 individuals and four
relay teams for the NCAA Regionals and sent six
athletes to the NCAA Championships.
When they’re not putting up big numbers for their
respective teams, Winthrop student-athletes shine
in the classroom and in the community. In 2011-12,
Winthrop led all Big South Conference institutions
with the highest percentage of student-athletes who
earned recognition on the prestigious Presidential
Honor Roll. Student-athletes also devote time and
energy to the surrounding community. For a fourth
consecutive year, the university won the Big South
Conference Kallander Cup Challenge for completing nearly 3,200 hours of various community service
projects during the 2011-12 academic year.
An equally impressive hallmark of DiGiorgio’s
legacy centers on the first-class athletic facilities that
have been upgraded or added during his time at
Winthrop, including:
»» Renovations to the 6,000-seat Winthrop
Coliseum included new seats and scoreboard,
family-friendly food services, concourse
monitors of events inside and improved
walkways. In 2012 the lobby entrance, arena
and coaches’ offices were updated with new wall
murals and other elements.
»» Addition of the Memorial Tennis Courts,
completed in 2003, which include 12 lighted
courts and seating for 300. The courts were
named for members of the men’s tennis team
who were involved in a tragic highway accident
in Hattiesburg, Miss., in 1993.
»» Addition of the 1,800-seat Winthrop Ballpark,
one of the most impressive collegiate ballparks
in the South.
»» Addition of Eagle Field, the soccer complex,
which features lighting for night matches,
bleacher and stadium-style chair-back seating,
DiGiorgio Guides Athletics to National Prominence
»» Addition of intramural recreation fields, a
student-use facility that features two lighted
fields and a building that meets multiple needs
for Recreational Services.
DiGiorgio’s passion for sports extended beyond
Winthrop as the National Collegiate Athletics Association also sought out his guidance and expertise.
During his tenure DiGiorgio served on the NCAA
Board of Directors and the College Basketball Partnership, an NCAA committee.
His commitment to Winthrop Athletics will be
noticed for years to come as the university continues
to reap the exposure its teams have received through
national television, radio and newspaper coverage.
Memorial
Tennis Courts
and a state-of-the-art press box, making the facility one of the best in the
conference.
»» Addition of the Terry Softball Complex, home to the Eagle softball program.
The complex features four fields and 300 seats.
»» Addition of the Irwin Belk Track, home to the Eagle track and field teams.
The track encircles a full-sized practice field for soccer and women’s lacrosse,
as well as areas for field events, such as discus and pole vault.
Irwin Belk Track
Terry Softball Complex
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Winthrop a Canvas for Public Art:
DiGiorgio Shaped Public Art Program’s Strategic Growth
By Jill C. Stuckey
Winthrop’s commitment to public art began with its founding
president, D.B. Johnson, who brought copies of Classical sculpture to the Rock Hill
campus to educate and enrich. President Anthony DiGiorgio has built upon that
tradition by not only encouraging the display of original, contemporary works by
faculty and staff, but also intentionally integrating them into the campus environs
and embedding public art in the curriculum.
Prior to his arrival in 1989, student works were occasionally displayed, but with
no cohesive plan to their installation or placement. DiGiorgio worked with the
Department of Fine Arts and Facilities Management to institute a process that
provides spaces for temporary installations, as well as regular additions of permanent
pieces. Beginning with Thomson Sculpture by Tim Wright and Sweet Dreams,
the five-piece steel chair sculpture created by Doug McAbee ’94, ’03, more than 30
permanent art installations have provided opportunities for students, alumni and
faculty to exhibit their work.
Providing these spaces for both permanent and also many temporary installations
has allowed the sculpture program, in particular, to flourish. Students, working
within the real world parameters of budgets,
approval queues, installation processes and site
requirements, learn marketable skills such as the power
of collaboration, hard work and contribution to a
community.
While public art contributes to the aesthetics of
campus, it also adds to its functionality as well. Part of
the strategic planning process instituted by DiGiorgio
includes creating environments for both intentional
and casual interactions by members of the campus
community. Spaces like the curved Leitner Wall by
Keith Walters ’97 outside Kinard Hall or Brian Rust’s
Touch Stones in front of Margaret Nance Hall, provide
settings for the constant conversation that occurs on a
college campus. Hardin Family Garden, which opened
in 2011 as a capstone to Scholars Walk, is another
example of beauty in utility. The design of this aesthetic
and functional garden came from the ancient concept
Previous page: Sweet Dreams. This page,
clockwise starting top left; Thomson
Sculpture, Leitner Wall, Winthrop
Monolith inside Hardin Family Garden,
Kara Senzui with Komori, aerial view of
Hardin Family Garden showing the Golden
Section design theme and Touch Stones.
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Spring
known as the Golden Section, which describes the
beauty and the organization found in nature.
An artist himself, DiGiorgio has transformed the
campus into an ever-changing canvas. As new buildings
have enhanced student and faculty life in recent years,
art has been ubiquitous and deliberate in the new spaces,
but nowhere as prominently as in the new campus
center named in honor of DiGiorgio and wife Gale. It
is especially fitting for this building, which honors the
man who placed strong emphasis on transforming the
campus through art and architecture, to showcase the
talents of students, alumni and faculty on its walls.
DiGiorgio has set Winthrop on a course to achieve
national prominence, and at the same time has
embraced the transforming beauty of public art. As an
innovative leader, DiGiorgio sees the importance of
both in the lives of Winthrop students.
For a virtual tour of Winthrop’s permanent art
installations, scan the code below with your smart
phone or visit www.winthrop.edu/virtualtour/arttour.aspx.
Spring 2013 Winthrop Magazine
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S pecial Eve nt
A Fitting Tribute:
Celebration Honors DiGiorgios’ Legacy
By Judy Longshaw
President Anthony DiGiorgio quoted writer and traveler Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who once wrote about times of transition and farewells, during an Oct. 18,
2012, tribute that honored him and First Lady Gale DiGiorgio.
Lindbergh said of her time in Japan, “Sayonara, of all the good-byes I have
heard, is the most beautiful.”
Literally translated, DiGiorgio said, sayonara means, ‘Since it must be so,’ … “It
is a simple acceptance of fact: That a time has come that ‘it must be so….’”
To nearly 325 people gathered in the Rosalind and Jerry Richardson Ballroom
in the DiGiorgio Campus Center, DiGiorgio bid “Thank you, each and every one,
for being our community – for the past 24 years and for all the years to come.”
Dignitaries from Washington, D.C., and across South Carolina attended the
tribute to praise DiGiorgio’s tenure. He will retire as president this summer after
conferring nearly 19,000 undergraduate degrees and 6,300 graduate degrees.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called DiGiorgio the “Strom Thurmond of
higher education” for his longevity. He is South Carolina’s longest-serving public
university president and one of the longest-serving public university presidents in
America. Winthrop has expanded in stature, size and scope due to DiGiorgio’s
vision.
Other accolades poured in from S.C. Rep. Gary Simrill ’91, R-Rock Hill, who
presented a framed copy of a S.C. House resolution introduced by the York County
delegation. Rock Hill Mayor Doug Echols ’77 gave the DiGiorgios a proclamation
and key to the city.
Along with a framed portrait of the couple presented by the Board of Trustees
to hang in the DiGiorgio Center, Foundation board members presented a check for
$201,459 for the DiGiorgio “Progress of the Times” Fund for student and faculty
research. Donations were given by trustees, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. More
information on the fund may be found on page 21.
Gale DiGiorgio received her own surprise during the festivities as Board of
Trustees Chair Dalton Floyd conferred upon her an honorary doctoral degree.
Gale has been active for more than two decades as a community volunteer with
a special emphasis on the well-being of children. She has devoted countless hours
to the campus, her church, the greater community and her adopted state. Because
of her many accomplishments, the Division of Student Life created and annually
awards the Gale N. DiGiorgio Woman of Achievement Award.
Following retirement the DiGiorgios will remain in Rock Hill.
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1. President Anthony DiGiorgio
2. Gale DiGiorgio was honored with an honorary Winthrop doctoral degree.
3. Anthony and Gale DiGiorgio
4. From left: Harry Dalton ’86, honorary campaign co-chair of Distinction: The Campaign for Winthrop, and
Carlos Evans, campaign co-chair for Distinction, presented
a check for the Progress of the Times Fund.
5. President DiGiorgio (left) and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham,
R-S.C.
6. Rep. Gary Simrill ’91, R-S.C., made a special presentation to
President DiGiorgio.
7. From left: Louise Barnes, Jack Holladay ’91, Ed Barnes and
Lora Holladay
8. Rock Hill Mayor Doug Echols ’77 addressed guests and
the DiGiorgios.
9. Table host David Vipperman (left) and Baxter Simpson
10. From left, back row: Board of Trustees Chairman Dalton Floyd, Winthrop Foundation Chairman Gary Williams,
President DiGiorgio and John S. Thomas; from left, front
row: Peggy Williams, Gale DiGiorgio and Judy Thomas
11. From left: Gale DiGiorgio and Board of Trustees members
Jane Lawton LaRoche ’70 and Sue Smith-Rex
12. Larry Durham ’80, ’87 (left) and Nate Barber ’89
13. Mari Heckle (left) and Lisa Hall
14. Betty Jo Dunlap Rhea ‘51 (left) and Phyllis Hatfield Faircloth
’72, ’75
15. Board of Trustees Chairman Dalton Floyd unveiled a portrait
of the DiGiorgios as the board’s gift to the couple.
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“The Spirit of Service:”
David Bancroft Johnson and Anthony Joseph DiGiorgio
By Dr. Edward Lee
For more than half of Winthrop UniversiTillman, South Carolina’s dominant political figure. When Tillman and Johnson
ty’s 127-year history, two presidents have guided the South
sought a new Up Country location for what was then a women’s school, they brought
Carolina institution. From 1886 to 1928, David Bancroft
Winthrop Normal College to Rock Hill in 1895. With its bold entrepreneurs like
Johnson took a small school with 21 students housed in
James Milton Cherry and John Gary Anderson, Rock Hill would be a suitable
a Columbia chapel, relocated it to the New South City
location to educate the daughters of farmers—far away from the scars of the Civil
of Rock Hill, and oversaw steady
War. Henry Sims, president from 1944
growth in curriculum and enrollto 1959, said, “This was certainly the
ment. Anthony Joseph DiGiorgio,
best investment that Rock Hill ever
from 1989 to 2013, propelled the
made.”
college to university status, secured
Johnson proudly opened Winthrop’s
accreditation for all eligible academdoors in Rock Hill in 1895. Main
ic programs, and left his fingerprints
Building (later Tillman Hall) and
on a campus with an international
Winthrop Training School (built in
reputation and a diverse enrollment
1912) were the towering heights of an
of more than 6,000 students. Both
educational institution that had found
men possessed essential leadership
a permanent home along Oakland
qualities: crisp vision, adaptability to
Avenue. The students wore uniforms,
turbulent times, fundraising skills, a
obeyed strict rules of conduct and
commitment to preparing students
listened to Johnson passionately
for lifelong service and forging a vispeak with missionary zeal about the
brant partnership with the host city.
imperative need to lead the state’s
The fifth president of the institurevival from the war. Service was an
tion, Charles S. Davis, explained
obligation, and the curriculum was
the Winthrop mission in a 1961
rigorous as the students learned that
speech, “The spirit of service has
“the sun never sets on Winthrop
been a Winthrop tradition from
graduates.”
the beginning days of the college.
Part of Johnson’s success was his
Down through the years, our graduability to secure funds to expand the
ates have become leaders in many
physical plant. Bricks and mortar rose:
David
Bancroft
Johnson
fields of endeavor and have played
McLaurin Hall in 1901, Rutledge
vital roles in the betterment of their
Building in 1905 and Bancroft Hall in
homes, their communities, their
1908. He was in a hurry, and he left as
state and their nation.” Davis and his
a legacy a campus that boasted a stellar
successor, Charles B. Vail, would oversee racial integration
reputation in teacher preparation, the fine arts, home economics and liberal studies.
and coeducation, but it would be Johnson and DiGiorgio
Like Rock Hill, Winthrop expanded its reach—always under the watchful eye of
who would shape “the Winthrop tradition.”
Johnson, who died in 1928.
D.B. Johnson, born in antebellum Tennessee, founded a
There have been nine presidents since Winthrop’s birth. English Professor James
teacher training academy in Columbia in 1886 and hired
Pinckney Kinard was Johnson’s chief lieutenant and immediate successor, serving
the first professor, Mary Hall Leonard. He solicited $1,500
until 1934. Even the challenges of the Great Depression did not slow the college’s
from former United States Senator Robert C. Winthrop,
evolution. Always, it moved forward. Kinard passed the baton to Shelton Phelps
president of the Peabody Fund, and gained the attention
(1934-43), and then to Henry Sims (1944-59), to Charles Davis (1959-72), to Charles
of Governor (later United States Senator) Benjamin Ryan
Vail (1973-82), to Phillip Lader (1983-86), and to Martha Kime Piper (1987-88).
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But instability darkened the waters in the 1980s. Vail
Foundation became the first of many indicators of DiGiorgio’s fundraising expertise.
had been dismissed by the Board of Trustees. Lader
Endowed professorships were established. Realizing the changing environment for funding
had left Rock Hill to seek the state’s governorship in
higher education and the growing emphasis on accountability, DiGiorgio wrote in 1994,
1986. Piper, the first female president, died in office in
“Its ultimate purpose is to help restore the traditional linkage between public education
1988. It was a decade of uncertainty, characterized by
and a sense of the public good.” During his 1994 opening address to faculty and staff, the
a recession, reduced state funding, shifting political
president commented, “It will require an explicit commitment to getting the job done using
winds in Columbia, and increased competition for
smaller staffs, simplified procedures and technology as hallmarks of progress.”
students and faculty. In 1989, the trustees chose
By the mid-1990s, the university’s first official website had appeared, and 100 percent
Anthony DiGiorgio, vice president of Trenton State
national accreditation of eligible academic programs was achieved. In 1996, DiGiorgio said,
(N.J.) College, to bring a fresh vision of excellence and
“Our goals must be shaped in partnership with those who utilize the services we provide.
a steady hand to Winthrop.
Higher education needs to be held to a high standard of accountability by those in both
DiGiorgio was born in 1940 to Italian immigrants.
the public and private sectors….” Thus, strategic planning involving various constituencies
Like D.B. Johnson, he raised money and promoted
from the trustees to the faculty and students was initiated.
Winthrop along the corridors of the state
In 1998, Rock Hill’s Harry ’86 and ’Becca Dalton
legislature. As Winthrop’s ambassador, “Our goals must be shaped contributed $1 million for an endowed chair, and the
touring South Carolina with his
athletics program was fully certified by the NCAA.
wife Gale in 1990, the new president in partnership with those In 1999, the first new academic building in 30 years,
observed, “(Winthrop) really is a jewel in
Dalton Hall (formerly the Life Sciences Building),
the crown of higher education in South who utilize the services we was completed for the study of life sciences, and the
Carolina, but it is not well understood
Eagles appeared in the national basketball
provide. Higher education Winthrop
across the state. We are still perceived
tournament.
as a relatively sleepy campus in a quiet needs to be held to a high
Enrollment reached 6,000 in 2000. The College of
town that educates women to become
Education was renamed the Richard W. Riley College
school teachers. Certainly, that’s been standard of accountability of Education in honor of President Bill Clinton’s
our heritage, and we’ve done that
secretary of education. Winthrop’s first capital campaign
by
those
in
both
the
public
extraordinarily well, but that’s not who
announced in 2003 that it had raised more than $31
we are today.”
million. University College joined the colleges of arts and
and private sectors….”
Like Johnson, DiGiorgio moved
sciences, business administration, education, and visual
quickly. At his October 1990
and performing arts.
inauguration, the new president spoke of the Winthrop
Winthrop focused on the “Live.Learn.Lead.” concept in 2004. A $3.8 million granttradition: its “courage and resilience in moving
funded biomedical research program was established that year. Athletics have long been
from single gender to coeducation, successfully and
important to DiGiorgio, and a $1.5 million anonymous gift enhanced the Winthrop
productively. It has shown vision and creativity in
Ballpark.
moving from a single purpose to embrace many
The campus continued to blossom throughout DiGiorgio’s tenure. In 2007, the Lois
purposes, successfully and productively.” He called
Rhame West Center was completed as well as Owens Hall, an academic building. Carroll
for “a core curriculum in which all students share.”
Hall opened for business students two years later. All three buildings were named in honor
The school’s mission required “a partnership with
of distinguished alumnae. Millions of dollars in federal funding strengthened teacher
government, with business, with our sister institutions,
education. In 2010, the DiGiorgio Campus Center, named in honor of the president and
and with the community at large.” He told the crowd,
first lady, was completed.
comprised of dignitaries like Governor Carroll
“The spirit of service” which defined both the Johnson and DiGiorgio presidencies is
Campbell, “Let us bring our students into the
evident in the evolving curriculum, vibrant classroom discussions, recognized faculty
fellowship of learning, showing them by example that
scholarship, diverse student body, success on the athletic playing field, growing physical
the sign of an educated person is that he or she is always
plant, tireless fundraising and international reputation of a university which continues to
trying to become one.” And, so, DiGiorgio’s “era of
move forward—even amid the economic challenges of the 21st century. D.B. Johnson
distinction,” endorsed by the trustees, commenced.
explained it best in his 1911 Commencement speech: “Winthrop does not stand for an
In 1991, U.S.News and World Report ranked
education without purpose. We hold that education is a training of the individual for life’s
the institution among the South’s top colleges, the
duties—for service.” He and DiGiorgio demonstrated in their 66 years of stewardship to
first of numerous similar accolades. The following
Winthrop University the wisdom of that assessment.
year, Winthrop attained university status. A 1993 $1
million gift from the Pamplin Family to the Winthrop
Dr. Edward Lee teaches history at Winthrop University. A third-generation Winthrop graduate, he
has served as mayor of the City of York for the last 11 years.
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Spring 2013 Winthrop Magazine